Essential Repertoire,
Highlighting Unaccompanied Brass
Here at Presto we have been thinking a lot about our customers throughout the globe who are spending much more time at home due to self-isolation and social distancing measures put in place in many parts of the world. You may find yourself struggling to find pieces to play, without access to your usual accompanist, chamber music groups, orchestras and ensembles. We thought it would be a good idea to begin a series of articles focusing on new, bestselling and recommended unaccompanied repertoire. It is perhaps also the perfect time to work on perfecting that technique that you’ve been putting off, or thinking about taking up a new instrument to pass the time.
For the third article in this series we will be looking at brass instruments. Here you will find some of our bestselling solo horn, trumpet, trombone, and tuba pieces.
Unaccompanied Horn
Below you will find our selection of some well-known and popular unaccompanied horn repertoire.
A sketch of the majestic flight of a great and rare seabird in music which is mostly slow, though rising to scalic runs of great brilliance and flexibility. For solo horn.
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Commissioned by the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra for the Birmingham International Wind Competition, and first performed in May 1966.
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This piece is part of the twenty-five pieces composed by Vincent Persichetti, each entitled Parable for various instruments. This is parable number eight for unaccompanied horn.
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Nine pieces covering many different technical problems within a short time span and overall musical structure.
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Bernhard Krol's career as a professional instrumentalist gave him a special idiomatic knowledge of brass instruments. He was successively a horn player with the Staatskapelle Berlin, the Berliner Philharmoniker and finally with Stuttgart Radio Symphony Orchestra.
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Including thirteen short pieces for horn that helps the player master breath support, tonguing, articulation, rapid note-playing, and varying rhythms, all while exploring the range of the instrument.
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Unaccompanied Trumpet
Below you will find our selection of some well-known and popular unaccompanied trumpet repertoire.
Toru Takemitsu's Paths, composed in 1994 in memory of Witold Lutoslawski. Takemitsu was a self-taught Japanese composer who combined elements of Eastern and Western music, creating a unique sound world.
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Hans-Werner Henze was a German composer, with a large oeuvre of works in extremely varied styles. His Sonatina for unaccompanied trumpet consists of three movements, 'Toccata', 'Canzona' and 'Segnali'.
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This collection includes authentic first trumpet parts for twelve John Williams orchestral compositions from his most famous film scores and commissions. A thrilling edition for the serious trumpet player's library.
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The infamous Six Short Solo Suites by J.S. Bach are perfectly adapted for the trumpet by American brass specialist, Robert King. King's adaptions for trumpet include phrase marks, dynamic markings, articulation, and performance directions.
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Allen Vizzutti's Cascades for unaccompanied trumpet, composed in 1980. Vizzutti has appeared as guest soloist with symphony orchestras, in recital, on television and in jazz venues around the world.
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A thorough method encompassing the developing of the cornet and including hundreds of pages of exercises.
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Unaccompanied Trombone
Below you will find our selection of some well-known and popular unaccompanied trombone repertoire.
One of three elegies for brass that the composer dedicated to his brother Burtie's mongrel dog. Mippy II is for solo unaccompanied trombone.
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Bach's Six Suites for Unaccompanied Cello are some of the most frequently performed and recognizable solo compositions. Here they are transcribed for solo trombone.
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Sequenza V is a showpiece, part of his series of pieces with this title. Performing it includes theatrical elements. Written in 1966 for Stuart Dempster and dedicated to the memory of Grock (Adrien Wettach).
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Malcolm Arnold is one of the most versatile and prolific British composers of the post war era. This is his Fantasy for Trombone, Op. 101, composed in 1969.
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Alan Ridout was a British composer and teacher. He was a prolific composer and works include church, orchestral and chamber music. His Sonata for Solo Trombone was composed in 1975.
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Unaccompanied Tuba
Below you will find our selection of some well-known and popular unaccompanied tuba repertoire.
Penderecki's Capriccio is one of the cornerstones of the tuba repertoire. Written in 1980 and commissioned by the Warsaw Symphony Orchestra, it is a real tour-de-force for the solo tuba.
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For unaccompanied tuba, this brilliant work was commissioned for and recorded by virtuoso James Gourlay.
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A terrific fantasy piece for Tuba by Malcolm Arnold. Set for the ABRSM Grade 8 Tuba examinations.
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An essential in the original literature written specifically for the tuba. Contemporary, humorous, four short movements, and fun to play!
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Mauricio Kagel's Mirum, composed in 1965, for unaccompanied tuba.
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Sixty Selected Studies by Georg Kopprasch is a set of sixty studies initially composed for the horn and adapted for tuba. Written for intermediate/advanced players, this set requires a good technical level and is an ideal must-have for tuba players.
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Ellena Taylor - Sheet Music and Books Manager
